Storage tank



Dec. 8, H931. E. E. sHANoR STORAGE TANK Filed Feb. 14, 1930' 2Sheets-Sheet l gwwntoc ff'Wff/z/a/e alf/mm1 Dec. s, 1931. E. E. SHANOR1,835,815

STORAGE TANK Filed Feb. 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1T o e//wn ca a o 0 oo o o o o C// /7 o C/ 0 /f Z0.

o (ff/ /7 o ff o o Y'/ o o o 0 o o o o o o o o o Q f5/Vaya@ abkomwqPatented 1931 "j," STTES EDGAR E. SEANOR, OF SHARON, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR TO THE PETROLEUM IRON WORKS C0. F OHIO, OF SHARON,PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION 0F OHIO STORAGE TANK Application filed'February 14, 1930. Serial No. 428,533.

My invention relates to tanks mainly intended for the storage of crudeoils, gasoline or other volatile liquid which evolves or gives off gasesor vapors calculated to set up inter- .5 nal pressures; and moreparticularly to socalled closed tanks,` as distinguished from tanksequipped with floating deck or roofs.

In the storage of large volumes of liquid the standard practice is toemploy vertically lo disposed cylindrical tanks with flat bottoms. Thefiat bottom is preferred because of the relatively inexpensivefoundation which it requires and because it provides for more or lessuniform distribution of the liquid load '5 so that the unit pressure onthe soil is not excessive. Such tanks as ordinarily constructed andsupported suffer the disadvantage that under the influence of internalgas pressure there is an upward thrust or lifting force on the roof,which force is transmitted to the cylindrical wall or shell and throughthe latter to the bottom of the tank. The effect of this is to lift thetank `bottom from its foundation, open up seams and cause leakage to amore or less degree. Various expedientsheretofore have been proposed forthe purpose of taking care of excessive gas pressures in the storage ofcrude petroleum and other volatile liquids; some have taken the l formof spherical, elliptical and other special designs but none of them hasbeen commercially satisfactory because of the obvious expense. Theproblem is to provide for storage of large volumes of liquid in avertical cylindrical tank of the flat bottom type and havin provisionfor` resisting distortion. Mani estly the problem can be met by usingproperly trussed roofs; by tying the cylindrical wall or shell to thefoundation; or by the use of heavy plates reinforced with closely spacedties; but the use of any o f the foregoing or similar expedients,commercially speaking, is impossible because of the prohibitive cost.

Hence, the desideratum and, therefore,` the principal object of theinvention is to meet the large and constantly increasing demand in theoil industry for a tank capable of storing largevolumes of gas producingli uids, whichshall meet the specifications o low initial cost and lowcost of maintenance, and which'shall be capable of successfullyresisting dangerous distortion under forces resulting from internal gasor vapor pressures; and the nature of the invention consists inproviding a comparatively simple, inexpensive and light-weightconstruction capable of meeting the specifications aforestated andincluding, with respect to at least the bottom of the tank andpreferably bothl bottom and roof elements, plates of comparatively lightgage or weight inherently constructed successfully to resist dangerousdistortion or excessive deflecti0n,'that is to say, plates havingstilening integers.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof Figure 1 is a'vertical sectional view showing a vertically disposed cylindrical tankembodying features of my invention. y

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the bottom con-j struction.

Figs. 3 and 4 are details of mounting tank bottom and roof plates.

Fig. 5 is a top or. face view of a typical bottom or roof plateembodying my lnvention.

Fig. 6 is a section on lines 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Referrinv to the drawings, 5 represents a tank body 1n the form of acylindrical shell, the details of which may be as usual or of anyapproved construction; 6 represents a bottom of the flat type designedto rest directly upon the soil or any usual foundation; 7 represents aroof which may be of the flat type shown or of any conventional type.The tank is or may be equipped with the usual accessories such as inletand outlet connections 8, water draw-off 9, manhole 10,

gage hatches 11, pressure relief valve 12, standpipe 13 and ladder 14.

The bottom 6 embodies parallel I-beams 15 serving as supportsfor lthecylindrical shell yand also.,for the bottom plates'16. It is a 'merit ofmy invention that the plates 16 are inherently constructed so as to bestiff fened or reinforced against deflection or distortion in a.vertical direction under stress transmitted to them from the cylindricalshell. While realizing that 4this may be ac complished in various ways Iprefer to embody this part of m inventive thought in a plate of lightgage ormed with upstanding or vertical integers 17, which are ofgenerally rectangular form 18 intermediate their flaring terminals 19which latter ultimately vanish in the end mar `ns of the plate. Theintegers 17 might well e die-formed corrugations thus givlng the plateaconcavo-convex form. While preferring corrugated plates of the typerecited, it 1s manifest that it would be but a continuation of myinventive thought to employ other types of corrugated plates.

Bottom plates of the nature indicated readily lend themselves toassemblage or mounting with respect to the I-beams or other means ofsupport. For example, the plates may be joined as at 20 by riveting orwelding and they may be secured to the beams, as at 21 by welding orotherwise. Y

The roof ,construction with respect to individual plates is or may bethe same as the' I bottom except that the margins of the plates aresecured to the top lianges of the, beams instead of the bottom flan esas is the case with the tank bottom. owever, the roof need not be oftheiiat type as my method f reinforcement against lifting forces may we beincorporated in a conical or other conventional type of roof.

Evidently the provision of bottom and roof plates of the characterspecified sim rlities the closing of the heads of the tank, W ether byriveting, welding or other convenient method of closing seams, and theprovision of such plates is further meritorious in that it provides forthe easy placement of vertical-colt, umns or ties 22 ran' `ng betweenthe beams of the respective hea s so that without exces: sive fiexure ofthe corrugated plates they are capable oftransmitting their load to theends of the corrugations at' which points the load Ais reacted by thecolumns or ties to the opposite heads of the tank, it being underv stoodthat the intermediate ties between the roof andthe bottom are soconstructed and arranged as to'constitute columns to support theexternal roof load. Regardless of the form ofthe roof, the inclusiontherewith of the standpipe 13 has the merit that it'takes care ofconditions making for so-called breathing resulting from varying gasprescomprising. a shell, a roof and a bottom, i

I-beams supporting the shelland the bottom, said bottom including apluralityof independent' plates aordedmarginal support relievingconditions making for breathing by the I-beams and each having stiieningribs stopping` short of the margins, roof supports, and verticahcolumnsor ties ranging etween the bottom and roof supports.

2. A liquid storage tank comprising a cy-J lindrical shell, a. bottomand a roof, the latter including I-beams` and a plurality of independent plates each formed integrally within its marginal limits withstilening ribs,

said plates being marginally secured to the, '15

top 'ianges of the beams, means for stiiening the bottom, and tiesbetween the roof and bottom and eiective as columns to support theexternal roof load.

3. A liquid storage tank comprising a cylindrical shell, a bottom and aroof, the latter including I-.b'eams and a plurality ofindependentplates each formed integrally within its 'marginal limits withstiffening ribs, said plates being marginally secured to the top iangesof the beams, means for stifening the bottom, and ties between the roofand bottom and effective as columns to sup. port the external roof load,and means for and resulting from varying gas pressures due to expansionand contraction. X

4. A liquid storage tank comprising a shell, a bottom and a roof, bottomand roof supports in substantial alignment and including membersrangingv crosswise of the s hell in parallel order of. arrangement andtied to the shell, ties intermediate the bottom and roof supports, andmeans for completing at least one of said elements namely, the bottomand roof, and comprising ribbed platesspanning the areas between thecrosswise ranging supports and marginally secured to said supports,whereby without excessive lexure of the ribbedplates, they are capableof transmitting theirload-to points at which itis reacted by the ties tothe opposite closure of the tank. A

In testimony whereof I affix my signature. EDGAR E. SHANOR Y

